A plurality of Arizona voters are now registered Republican, becoming the dominant political structure in the state and reversing a previous trend that saw the majority of Arizona voters registered independent.
Data published by the Arizona Secretary of State for January shows 34.58 percent of the state’s voters are now registered Republican, followed by 34.38 percent who are registered “Other” or independent, and 29.55 percent who are registered Democrats.
The news marks a significant reversal from September 2023, when the secretary of state reported that 34.55 percent of Arizona voters were independents and not registered to a political party.
Additionally, the number of registered Democrats in Arizona decreased from 1,270,544 on Election Day 2022 to 1,211,940 in January 2023, meaning the party has nearly 60,000 fewer voters heading into the 2024 elections.
Arizona’s newest political party, No Labels, also more than tripled its number of registered voters since last year. No Labels increased its number of voters from 8,505 last September to 25,924 in January.
No Labels, which has said it may introduce a moderate presidential ticket if it dislikes the nominees chosen by Republicans and Democrats, now boasts a greater number of registered voters than the reported margin of President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, when Biden received about 11,000 more votes than former President Donald Trump.
Democrats in Arizona and elsewhere in the country have repeatedly expressed concern about No Labels, with President Joe Biden declaring in October 2023 that No Labels will “help the other guy” in November and suggested disaffected Democrats supporting the party are making a “mistake.”
Weeks before Biden’s remarks, a network of powerful liberal donors held a conference call in September 2023 to codify their opposition to No Labels and pledge to work against those behind the new political party.
The news that more than a third of Arizona’s voters are registered Republican comes as election activist Scott Presler tours the state to register voters and share his expertise with local activists.
Speaking to The Arizona Sun Times ahead of his tour, Presler stressed that Arizona voters cannot vote in a partisan Presidential Preference Election (PPE) without being registered to a political party holding a contest.
“The pathway to the White House runs through Arizona,” said Presler, calling the state a “must-win” for Republicans.
“Part of the reason why we’re doing this is to educate voters on the Presidential Preference Election,” Presler added. “You MUST be registered as a Republican in order to vote for a Republican in the PPE.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “People Registering to Vote” by Fibonacci Blue. CC BY 2.0.
